High pressure reaction apparatus



Dec. 1, 1970 w. 0. DAY 3,543,341

men PRESSURE REACTION APPARATUS Filed Dec. 12, 1968 3/ 40 30 FIG.I 32

3,543,341 HIGH PRESSURE REACTION APPARATUS William C. Day, R0. Box 383, Bloomfield, NJ. 07003 Filed Dec. 12, 1968, Ser. No. 783,259 Int. Cl. B30b 11/32 US. Cl. 18-5 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a high pressure reaction chamber apparatus, for example, one attaining a million pounds per square inch or more, and comprises a central longitudinal liner having an inlet side containing a plurality of pumping chambers for stepwise increase of pressure to a maximum at the central reaction chamber. A series of access chambers are disposed on the outlet side for manual access to the reaction chamber and for the gradual release of the high pressure of said chamber. The reactants are disposed in the reaction chamber by ac cess through the access chamber and then are pressurized and heated, if required, by use of heat supplied, for example, by electrical resistance wires. The central liner is re-enforced by segments having exterior stepwise configurations of integral bulk metal corresponding to the high pressure to be resisted in the liner. These segments are circumferentially disposed around the liner and are tied together by use of tension blocks co-acting with tie rods.

The prior art relates to high pressure reaction vessels having uniform thick wall construction.

The invention uses varying wall thickness corresponding to the varying pressure therebeneath.

In the production of diamonds from other forms of carbon, extremely high pressure is necessary as well as a suitable temperature.

According to this invention, such maximum high pressure is attained through the use of a series of pumping chambers, each adding a relatively small increment of pressure until the maximum is reached. Such a concept permits the use of conventional pumping means since such means are subjected only to differential stresses found between adjacent pumping chambers.

The liner of this invention is substantially cylindrical and tubular in configuration. This liner is divided by suitable crimping to form vertically disposed abutments adapted to receive pressure resistant chamber walls.

The chambers disposed within the liner are of three types, namely, a series of pressurizing pumping chambers on the inlet side, a central reaction chamber for retaining the maximum pressure, and a series of depressurizing access chambers leading from the reaction chamber. Since the pressure within the liner increases from atmospheric pressure to a central maximum pressure and then decreases back to atmospheric pressure, the mechanical reenforcement means used in this invention corresponds stepwise to this increasing-decreasing pressure scale. These re-enforcement means comprise a plurality of longitudinal segments, each suitably configurated interiorly to circumferentially embrace a cylindrical portion of the liner and configurated exteriorly stepwise to receive corresponding pressure and to receive tension blocks and tension tie rods to unite all the segments into a substantially unitary envelope.

This invention is illustrated by an embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawing in which FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the high pressure reaction chamber apparatus,

FIG. 2 is a view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1 and showing the manner of securing together the four segnited States Patent mental quadrants and the manner in which these segments embrace the central tubular liner,

FIG. 3 is a partial longitudinal section view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1 of the pumping chamber side of the liner, showing electrical pumps used to upstage the pressure from one chamber to the next chamber,

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section view taken on line 44 of FIG. 1 of the reaction chamber, the chamber of greatest pressure and therefor disposed in the center of the apparatus at the area of greatest re-enforcement,

FIG. 5 is a partial section view of the access chambers disposed on the outlet side of the reaction chamber and adapted to downstage the pressure,

FIG. 6 is a detail view showing the manner of sealing the walls between the access chambers using a hinged spring-loaded door and FIG. 7 is a partial schematic section view of the pump ing chambers showing an alternative manner of actuating the many pumps using a common axle.

Turning to the drawing, a substantially cylindrical liner 10, made from two half longitudinal sections welded to- :gether after having the necessary apparatus disposed therein, is provided with circumferentially disposed substantially V-shaped channels 11 crimped therein. The channels 11 are each provided with an angularly disposed wall 12, directed away from the center of the liner 10 reaction chamber, at each end of the liner. The channels are also provided with a vertically disposed wall 13 integral with said angularly disposed wall 12. The vertical walls 13 form an abutment against which a pumping chamber wall 14 or an access chamber wall 15, as the case may be, is disposed.

An important feature of this invention is the manner in which the liner 10, having the central reaction chamber 20 (FIG. 4) is re-enforced to withstand the extremely high pressures used in the reaction chamber. The re-enforcement means used in this invention are integral mass metal units being increasingly stronger and thus increasingly resistant to the increasing high pressure stresses as the center is approached from either the inlet or pumping end 21 or the outlet or exit end 22. The pressure on the liner 10 and hence on the longitudinal reenforcement means disposed thereabout increases due to pumping in the separate chambers to a maximum at the center reaction chamber 23. Thereafter the pressure decreases gradually in a series of access chambers until the outlet opening 22 is reached.

Preferably, the reaction material is encapsulated in a thin shell covering and manually placed in the reaction chamber by access through the access chambers. The size of this apparatus may be forty feet at its maximum diameter.

The liner 10 is preferably made of longitudinal half sections welded together at diametrically opposed seam lines. The pressure resistant re-enforcement elements or segments 30 are of such partial circular construction that a predetermined plurality of assembled segments 30 completely and circumferentially closely embrace the liner 10. Preferably, four quadrant segments, each covering ninety degrees of the liner surface, are employed. How ever, the number of segments used to circularly cover the liner may be varied. Each segment is provided with an inner surface in close conformity to the surface of the liner 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the longitudinal segments 30 are each provided with curved set-backs 31 of decreasing radius on either side of the center of said segment. The radial treads or steps 31 provide cylindrical surfaces 32 which are disposed over respective pumping chambers or access chambers, as the case may be. Preferably, the pressure step-up and step-down from the reaction charnher is effected in equal amounts. The segments are provided with flutes 33 to closely engage the co-acting channels 11 of the liner 10 to thereby assume the pressure of said liner.

Another feature of this invention is the provision of suitably strong tension rings made of alloy steel as is also the separate segments 30. The rings 40 consist of alternate tension blocks 41 having opposed threaded cavities co-acting with threaded rods 42 disposed therein. The curved surfaces 32 of the segments are each provided with flat block seating areas 45 adapted to engage said blocks 41. In the assembled apparatus, there are as many rings 40 as there are curved surfaces 32.

In the operation of this invention,the fluid is pumped into the apparatus on the inlet side from one pumping chamber to the next, the increment of pressure between chambers being the same number of pounds per square inch.

This pressure increase in each chamber is preferably done electrically, using electrical pumps actuated from a common line 51 which traverses the chamber walls 14 in suitable sealed relationship thereto. Each pump has an inlet conduit 52 in a chamber of lower pressure and an outlet conduit 53 in the adjacent chamber having the pumped higher pressure, the conduit 53 traversing the wall 14 in sealed relationship thereto. The wall 14 is sealed to the annular vertical wall 13 of the liner 10 by suitable welding thereto.

In lieu of electrical pumps, mechanical actuation of pumps is feasible as shown in FIG. 7. In this modification of the invention the walls 14 are traversed by a common axle 55. A take-ofl gear 56 actuates the respective pumps 57. The axle is provided with a flange 58 engaging a bearing 59, said bearing being sealed on the wall 14 by use of a suitable bearing block 60, pressed against wall 14 by the pressure of the fluid within the chamber. The last outlet conduit 53 leads into the reaction chamber 20. In this chamber the reactants may be heated by electrical resistance wires, if necessary.

After reaction, the product is removed from chamber 20 through the access doors 61 secured to the access walls 15 of the respective access chambers. The doors 61 are hinged to walls 15 by use of a hinge pin 62 engaging the hinge arm 63 which is welded to door 61. The access doors are each provided with a conventional step-down pressure regulating valve 70, preferably disposed in the thick access doors. Also a conventional check valve 71 is provided in door 61. The doors 61 are spring-loaded by coil springs 73, which extend from the hinge arm 63 to I the wall 15.

The access doors 61 are of a size to permit manual placing of the reaction material in the reaction chamber and the cleaning thereof. The walls 15 are each provided with suitable channel 74 near their respective rims and a coacting circular abutment locking ring 75 is disposed in door 61. A plastic sealer O-ring 76 is deposited in each channel 74 so that the doors 61 are tightly sealed when closed.

In assembling the segments 30 about liner 10, the cracks present between the segments and where they meet said liner may be filled with relatively hard material such as carbide material, to prevent high pressure deformation of liner 10 into said cracks.

While it is preferred to have a chamber under each stepwise surface, it is possible to have one chamber disposed beneath two or more stepwise surfaces 32.

The reaction to high pressure in the reaction chamber is not limited to reaction in encapsulated coverings or shells, since this pressure may be used in a purely physical way such as in the tranfiguration or deformation of physical material placed in the chamber 20.

I claim:

1. A high pressure reaction apparatus comprising a longitudinal tubular liner having an inlet portion having a plurality of in series pumping chambers, a centrally disposed reaction chamber and an outlet portion having a plurality of in series access chambers; segment high pressure re-enforcement means disposed circumferentially and in close conformity to said liner; and means for securing said segments to each other and to said liner, whereby fluid introduced at the inlet of said inlet portion is increased in pressure stepwise in said pumping chambers to attain a maximum pressure in said reaction chamber and thereafter decrease gradually in said access chambers to an outlet opening.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said segment reenforcement means comprises a plurality of unitary longitudinal blocks of a length equal to that of said liner, each having an inner surface in conformity to the liner exterior surface and an outer surface of stepwise configuration increasing in height from both ends toward the middle of said segment to attain a maximum height and a maximum resistance to high pressure in said liner.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the liner is cylindrical and provided with annular crimped channels in the outer surface thereof of said inlet and said outlet liner portions, said crimped channels having a vertical wall defining said pumping and said access chambers; chamber walls secured to said vertical walls of said crimped channels in fluid tight relationship to form a series of pumping chambers in said portion of said liner and to form a series of access chambers in the outlet portion of said liner; and hinged doors secured to said chamber walls of said access chambers to permit access to said reaction chamber.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 comprising pumps disposed in each chamber said pumps having an inlet in the chamber in which located and an outlet disposed through the chamber wall to the adjacent chamber toward said reaction chamber, whereby fluid is pressurized serieswise into said reaction chamber.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said access chamber walls are provided with a circular channel, a plastic ring in said channel, said access doors having an annular abutment adapted to engage said plastic ring in said channel thereby producing a fluid tight seal between access chambers corresponding to the pressure exerted on said access door.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said segments are provided with flutes on their inner respective surface adapted to engage said crimped channels of said liner to effect intimate metal to metal contact to absorb the high pressure in said liner.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 comprising tension rings disposed on each of the stepwise surfaces of said segments assembled about said liner, said tension rings consisting of tension blocks secured one to another in series relationship with tie rods interconnecting said blocks.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,554,499 5/1951 Poulter. 3,103,699 9/1963 Gerrard et a1 18167 X 3,123,862 3/1964 Levey, Jr 1816 3,451,101 6/1969 BOWles 18-5 3,499,732 3/1970 Garrett.

WILLIAM S. LAWSON, Primary Examiner 

